Passengers at Sofia Airport decorated with talismans for health, luck

Pupils decorated departing and arriving passengers and airline crews at Sofia Airport with talismans for health and luck marking a Bulgarian tradition on Wednesday.

People tie round the wrist small pieces of adornment made of white and red yarn, called "martenitsas".

These colors have their defined meanings. Red means blood and life, and white means purity and happiness.

Neli Dimitrova, a teacher at the school, whose pupils gave the martenitsas within the initiative jointly organized with the airport, told Xinhua that their goal was to promote this tradition related to the coming of spring.

Martenitsas mainly symbolize health and luck. "The more martenitsas you have on your wrist, the more healthy you are," she said.

"When you see a stork or a blossoming tree, you have to remove the martenitsas from your wrist and tie it to the tree," she said.

Nina, a Bulgarian passenger, said this is one of the most beautiful festivities in her country. "All of us who are on Earth deserve to be healthy, happy and successful," Nina said.

Anna, a Russian woman with two children, who was leaving for home after a vacation in Bulgaria, said their kindergarten in Moscow also celebrated this tradition on Wednesday. Endit